A county veterinarian has speculated that the dead birds that fell from the sky in central Sweden on Tuesday may have been frightened by fireworks, then run over by a car after landing on the road in the dark.

Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, residents found 50 to 100 jackdaws on a street in Falköping southeast of Skövde. The incident echoed a number of unexplained incidents earlier this week across the southern US.

The lame explanations start to come out now. A truck driver calls in and says "yes it was me I ran over 70 birds". That's impossible, it was not out on an open road so he cannot have driven at high speed. It's very common to cross a flock of jackdaws out on the road and if you travel at high speed you can perhaps manage to kill one or two. They usually manage to avoid cars even at high speed.

- We do not know what the cause is, "says Tomas Ahlgren, internal officers of the police in Skövde said.

According to Swedish Radio Skaraborg, these are between 50 and 100 dead birds.

According to Anders Wirdheim the Swedish Ornithological Society (SOF) has jackdaws probably have been frightened in the middle of the night and then flown around in the dark and collided with various objects.

- Jackdaws sleep in trees in large flocks. Will they be frightened hundreds of birds take wing at once, "he says.

Even in the U.S. this has been the species that spend the night together in large groups - rödvingetrupialer, cowbirds, and common starlings. But Anders Wirdheim out that it is not impossible that the situation could be exacerbated by the fact that the birds are weakened.

- This winter has been unusually tough and jackdaws may have been in poor condition. That makes it easier to fly into different objects. It's damn little food in the wild compared to previous years and I see myself dying birds every day.

They cared for bird carcasses are transported during the day to the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) in Uppsala by courier.

It says Olov Andersson, Director of Communications at SVA.

- It takes several hours before they come here, and partly depends on the weather, "he says.

- Then we make an assessment based on the information we have, whether through direct contacts in the field, and opens the birds to watch them. One hopes that the animals we have here is not crushed by the car wheels or injured by dogs and cats.

Animal carcasses are examined anatomically. Bacterial and viral samples, and also tests for avian flu.

- Perhaps we have a performance late Friday or early next week, "said Olof Andersson.

You're right. So if "fireworks" are causing the birds to startle and commit suicide, what are killing the fish? The explanation for one should be the explanation for the other. Nobody is buying the "fireworks" excuse and you know the media folks have to feel like idiots putting that out there! If they don't, they should!

A county veterinarian has speculated that the dead birds that fell from the sky in central Sweden on Tuesday may have been frightened by fireworks, then run over by a car after landing on the road in the dark.

Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, residents found 50 to 100 jackdaws on a street in Falköping southeast of Skövde. The incident echoed a number of unexplained incidents earlier this week across the southern US.